Can't get an inspection sticker if the frame has been welded on

Interesting how they require inspections. My 1998 Tacoma was tagged in Vermont and never required an inspection.

 

It’s a county thing usually.

 

Ah yeah that makes sense.

I don’t even live remotely near Vermont haha

 

California is too busy doing other neat stuff.
Good luck OP. Sell it and move on, lesson learned.

 

Craziest ideal I've ever had.......

.....you could bondo the frame.....sand it smooth....
repaint........

live a lie......I'd still sleep right at night....I would have no problem....



you know....when the end days come......a lot of you aint gonna make it.....

 

And now it's registered in CA again. The circle of life! Also needs new U-joints.

 

Remove all that old grease and apply a new coat.
Find a welder to cut out that patch and weld new metal that is flush with the frame. Have him take an 80 grit pad and grind the weld flush.

A decent welder can make it look like an unmodified frame. No matter what area you're in, this shouldn't cost over $1,000.

 

It baffles my mind why folks put up with salt.

 

Google AUTORUST.COM

They are located in Rhode Island and make the safety caps that have been mentioned on this site. They also do rust repairs including installation of the safety caps.

They may be able to shed some light what would be considered an acceptable frame repair in Vermont.

 

Just curious if the frame was repaired did the Truck come from out of State?

Last Owner moved to VT the truck is not able to be inspected.

Do you have any recourse to go after the seller selling a vehicle unable to be inspected??

 

I believe there are ways of getting a weld repair certified. Our state VT I think needs proof it was done by a licensed/certified welder using proper materials and procedures.
A guy at work bought 2 GM trucks in row with bad frames. Felt bad for him on the first one not the second one.
He had his 2nd repaired and it was a hassle with the state even having paperwork mentioned.

I hate to say it but yours looks kinda sketchy on the welds.
And what the hell is the round bar welded to the frame?
Did you grease the frame?
Kinda makes you wonder what else is going on.
Check your cab corners where the body mounts are if they are bad then your patching the floor to save the cab anyway.

 

The O.P. owned the truck last year and it passed the Vermont inspection.

 

The truck came from a company supposedly out of Maryland.
I was hoping to buy a 1st gen from below the salt states.
Lessons learned: Never buy without seeing.
eBay sucks. Don’t trust anyone. 1st gen stuff is really hard to find.
It’s too bad too because they were bad ass little trucks. This thing even has a differential locker. Man, I sure would like to play with it!
Maybe I can find a real good welder.

 

NY would not let that one pass. At least not any legit places.

 

Better yet. Sell that fucker to Handy Toyota in St Albans. They are very good at over pricing rusty ass used Tacomas. Ask for Lee

 

This is a little better like repairing 5th wheel cracks on out of Service Tractors.

Your welder at least I venture would need to be certified Under The Vermot DOT code if they have one.

I know New York State has a DOT code that you need to pass the test and can not be grand fathered in even holding certs to a higher code .

These codes keep changing and I have not kept up the few years.

Best of Luck

 

So, the whole story:
I won the bid on eBay.
Called the dude up and asked him if he was legit. He said he was and answered my questions. Then he passed me off to his secretary to handle the payment and set up shipping.
She was nice and seemed professional.
She told me she would call me when they had a truck headed my way. I let a few days go by before finally texting her from work asking her when my truck was going to be delivered.
She replied “it’s in your driveway” with a picture of the truck in my driveway.
I thought, well you didn’t call first so I could be there but cool I got my truck.
I get home from work, jump in turn the key and got nothing. Put the battery charger on it all night. Still nothing. Went and bought a battery. Truck started beautifully. Check engine light was on. (Not disclosed by seller).
Usually I’m VT you can’t pass inspection with a check engine light on. So, I took it to a mechanic who had just done the rocker panels on my wife’s car. Never met the guy before.
He called me and said the frame was rusty and already had been welded but he would put a sticker on it it I would give him $1000 to do the job. I said okay, bust it out.
He is the one who applied the grease.
He has since gone out of business and nobody else wants to touch it.

 

I'd do more homework before making your next move.

I'd start by finding out if Vermont will accept repairs done by a certified welder, and if so, what certifications are required.

There are great welders out there, but without the proper certifications, they aren't the right person for this job.

 

Source? The NY inspection checklist refers to CR79.21, which says nothing about welds to the frame:
https://casetext.com/regulation/new...ion/section-7921-inspection-of-motor-vehicles
Only rejectable frame discrepancies are:

Other obvious safety items like loose ball joints aren't rejectable in New York either, as Eric at South Main Auto has repeatedly pointed out in his YouTube videos.

 

As a fellow Vermonter, I would shop around for your inspection station. There are guys who will pass welded frames, but dealerships definitely won't. Best bet is independently owned shops. That said, if it wasn't professionally welded and they can tell, it's gonna be tough.
If you're anywhere near Barre, try Paul Lorenzini. He's a great dude. Not a guarantee, but he'd be my first try.